As a resident in Williamson County who is concerned about animal protection, I am asking you to support a pet store ordinance that would prevent pet stores from selling dogs sold in commercial breeding facilities, also known as puppy mills. Studies have shown that almost all puppies sold in pet stores are bred in these cruel facilities with almost no oversight. It is common for puppy mill dogs to be born with an array of congenital health defects, which cause not only suffering for the dogs, but heartbreak and financial hardship for dog owners. I respectfully ask you to end this cycle of animal cruelty, by stopping the puppy mill supply chain in Williamson County. Thank you for your consideration and your support.

__________________________________________________________________

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for signing the petition to ask our city and county government to pass a pet store ordinance that would prevent the sale of commercially bred (puppy mill) dogs in pet stores. We need to keep pet stores from selling dogs bred in cruel puppy mills for three main reasons:

1. Ending puppy mill cruelty. Studies estimate that nearly all puppies sold in pet shops are bred in abusive puppy mills, where dogs are mass produced in factory-like conditions with little or no regard for the welfare of the animals. Under the Animal Welfare Act and USDA regulations, dogs may be confined in spaces only six inches larger than their bodies, not including the tail. Dogs may be caged for their entire lives, only removed from the cage to be bred. Unwanted dogs may be killed or auctioned off.

2. Protecting consumers. Responsible breeders do not sell their puppies to pet stores because they want to meet their puppy buyers in person—and a majority of national breed clubs’ Codes of Ethics prohibit or discourage their members from selling their dogs to pet stores. Most pet stores do not disclose the true origins of their puppies, instead using deceptive sales pitches about “USDA licensed” or “responsible” breeders. Buyers are often faced with enormous vet bills or even the death of the puppy within days or weeks of purchase. A puppy may seem healthy for months only to develop symptoms of serious congenital conditions much later.

3. Protecting public health. Some of the illnesses found in pet store puppies include zoonotic diseases which can be spread to other pets and humans. According to the CDC, there have been two cases in 2017 of people infected with a "multidrug-resistant" bacteria traced to a pet store in Tennessee.

Thank you so much for supporting the ordinance. Please help us spread the word by sharing the link for the petition on social media. For updates, please follow us at Animal Advocates of Williamson County on Facebook.